The Kingdom is still mourning the loss of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej two years after his death. Lovingly called the ‘Father of the Nation’ and deeply revered by all Thai people, Rama IX died at the age of 88.
A talented inventor, the late King designed dams and bridges and developed means of creating rain through cloud seeding, resolving droughts faced by many areas. He even designed his own boat.
During the second half of the 20th century, almost 70% of Thais lived below the poverty line. This rate declined to 11% by 2014. During the reign of Bhumibol Adulyadej, a lot was done to improve the quality of life in the mountainous provinces, as hundreds of schools and hospitals were built.